The command to be happy...

Our church has a group called FAITH - a sort of visitation "class", where you learn different techniques of witnessing and sharing the gospel with others. I decided to participate in this class because I just felt drawn to it after hearing dad talk about it last year - and I have a hard time knowing exactly what to say to others in those situations, and I figure it's something we can all stand to get better at.

Anyway - the sort of "method" that we're going through starts out with the statement that God commands us to be happy, and the pamphlet quotes the verse

"Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."
- Psalm 37:10

Which happened to be the chapter in Psalm that I started reading tonight, so when I saw and recognized the verse, I realized how appropriate it is to how I've been feeling the past few days - and several other people have been as well it seems...

It's so easy to just hear sermons and do what you think you're supposed to be doing... but there's something different lately... there's a change that I feel like is happening in me... I'm doing these things and I'm wanting to do them, with a deep down desire to do them... I'm not quite sure how to explain it, because it's not like I didn't want to do the things I have already been doing... but maybe it's more that... I'm getting joy from doing those things and more that I haven't quite felt before...

So this verse really hit home tonight, because if you break it down into the two parts

"Delight thyself also in the Lord"

Too often, (in our "dead state" as Pastor Mike called it yesterday) people see living a Christian life as... difficult, and burdensome - it is very hard for we humans to do the right things. But like he said tonight, if Bill Gates called you up and offered you a million dollars - would you turn the money offer down saying "oh no, that would leave me obligated to thank him".

Why is it so easy for us to scoff and see that as ridiculous, when we have turned down God's offer of salvation and grace so many times because "it's too hard being obligated to thank Him by living right". God's gift to us is much more precious and undeserved by us than any amount of money in the world, and yet we find it so difficult to be "obligated to thank Him".

"and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart."

This one is also hard for us to understand - because when we look at our "desires", we too often see: money, wealth, fame/power, material things, and other things we take pleasure in here. But... when I manage to get away from those desires, at least for a little while... and start taking pleasure in the things of God... it's almost as if it is saying that He gives you... new desires

Just like the things I've been doing that I used to look at my parents doing and think - how can they stand giving up so much of their time? And now, I just feel blessed that God has given me the strength to do them... I sit and laugh with the people I used to be so scared would just sit in judgement of me if I attended church... I feel a connection with everyone and I want to share in everyone's experience when they get back on Monday nights... I want to visit with all of them to see how they approach our responsibility of sharing God's Word...

I'm glad that God commands us to be happy... and gives us the ability to truly be happy if we just search for it in conjunction with bringing glory to His name. There is no true happiness in glorifying ourselves - and it's funny how simple that all is when it happens, and how distant an idea it seems when we fall behind and start focusing on the wrong things again.

Hopefully I'm setting up reminders for myself here... and I keep praying that we will all just remember what we need to keep first and foremost in our minds and hearts... and learn to reach that happiness that living for His glory and honor only can bring.

"Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed."
-Psalm 37:10